This weekend, the Nation Music Corridor of Fame and Museum featured guitarist Brent Mason for its in-depth interview collection Nashville Cats. The continuing collection highlights musicians and session singers who’ve performed vital roles in assist of artists in both the recording studio or on live performance excursions.
As probably the most recorded guitarists in historical past, Mason estimates that he has created distinctive instrumental hooks on greater than a thousand Billboard High 10 hits spanning 4 many years. He has been named the Nation Music Affiliation’s Musician of the 12 months twice and the Academy of Nation Music’s Guitarist of the 12 months a report 11 instances.
Born within the small city of Van Wert, Ohio, Mason grew up in a musical household and taught himself to play guitar at age 5. After showing on native TV packages and enjoying in bands in Ohio, he moved to Nashville and started working with the well-regarded Don Kelley Band, enjoying a number of exhibits per week on the Stagecoach Lounge close to Opryland. Chet Atkins noticed Mason play and invited him to look on his Grammy-winning 1985 album, Keep Tuned, which included contributions by high guitarists George Benson, Larry Carlton, Earl Klugh, Mark Knopfler, Steve Lukather and Dean Parks. Mason’s early periods included recordings with Lee Greenwood, Dan Seals and Nation Music Corridor of Fame members Randy Travis and Keith Whitley. Within the Nineteen Nineties, as nation music gross sales soared, Mason labored a number of periods a day as probably the most in-demand session guitarists in Nashville. He performed on hits by Toby Keith, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Shania Twain, Steve Wariner, Trisha Yearwood and Nation Music Corridor of Fame members Brooks & Dunn, Glen Campbell, Vince Gill, Alan Jackson, George Jones, Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton, Ricky Skaggs and George Strait.
In 2009, Mason received a Grammy for Nation Instrumental of the 12 months for his work on Brad Paisley’s “Cluster Pluck,” and he performed on Blake Shelton’s “God’s Nation,” CMA Single of the 12 months in 2019. He additionally has carried out on hits by modern artists Luke Combs, Josh Turner, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Carrie Underwood, Lee Ann Womack and Chris Younger. Mason has recorded two albums of his personal, and, as a songwriter, his compositions have been recorded by Lee Greenwood, Johnny Mathis, Collin Raye, Billie Joe Spears and Nation Music Corridor of Fame members Jim Ed Brown and the Browns, Conway Twitty and Keith Whitley.
